Westward expansion of Austin Convention Center proposed

​AUSTIN – The city council got its first look at a proposed expansion to the existing Austin Convention Center, which could help provide enough extra meeting space for larger conventions.

In 2014, the city hired San Francisco-based consultant M. Arthur Gensler Jr. & Associates Inc. to review potential expansion ideas. Gensler ultimately proposed expanding the center to the west, adding 200,000 sf of exhibit space, 65,000 sf of meeting space and a 56,700-sf ballroom as well as additional underground parking and loading-dock space.

The city proposal also calls for a three-acre "urban park" on top of the expanded convention center.

Voters may be asked in November 2016 to rededicate two cents from the existing hotel occupancy tax to expand the Austin Convention Center.

Construction could start by 2020 with renovated facilities opening by November 2021. The project could cost between $400 million and $600 million, excluding land acquisition.